Michelle Adams, Deputy Executive Editor

Winter Storm Jonas hit the valley over the weekend, leaving much of the mid-Atlantic with staggering amounts of snow.

Winchester seemed to be the center of the storm, with one of the largest amounts of snowfall reported: a whopping forty inches.

Several conservatory events and performances were cancelled because of the weather, including the annual Mid-Atlantic Music Invitational and Collage Concert. Additionally, auditions and campus visits for prospective students for the weekend were rescheduled.

Many campus resources also closed as a result of the snow, as freshman music education major Cameron Farnsworth complained of The Grill, “The snow closed my only source of grilled cheeses.”

Although many staff members and commuting students were stuck in their driveways with cars buried under feet of snow, campus was still buzzing with snowball fights and sledding adventures.

Sleds were available for rent from the Brandt Student Center, and many students found the “secret” sledding spot – a large, steep hill behind the playground in Jim Barnett Park.

“I went sledding, and actually broke a rented sled,” Farnsworth jokingly recalled.  “I pushed it to give it momentum, jumped into it with my knees, and it broke.”

The walkway in front of Ruebush Hall, covered in snow from Winter Storm Jonas. Photo: Maria Ortiz

Other students also enjoyed quality bonding time with friends, like freshman biology pre-pharmacy major Ashley Myers, who spent time outside when she wasn’t catching up on homework.

“I played in the snow with my friends until [one of my friends] lost his phone. We still haven’t found it,” Myers said. “I’m even closer with some of my friends.”

Kierstan Tinsman, a freshman biology and Spanish double major, also spent time in the snow with friends.

“But when we weren’t outside,” she said, “some of my friends and I sat in each other’s dorm rooms and did makeovers and watched High School Musical (and sang along!). It was kind of like having a sleepover when you were younger.”

Unfortunately, Tinsman was one of the students who had to brave going to work in almost four feet of snow.

“I had to go in on Sunday because nobody else was available to go in,” she said. “My parents had to drive me and I ended up spending 8 hours at work. I’m just glad that I didn’t have to stay all weekend at the hospital, like a lot of nurses and other employees had to do.”

It took some time for cleanup crews to plow campus streets and clear sidewalks, but classes resumed on Wednesday, and despite the cold temperatures, students and staff were glad to get back into the learning routine.